Completion ceremony held for new National Stadium in Tokyo
Baku, December 16, AZERTAC
Eight months ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, a ceremony was held to recognize the completion of the new National Stadium in Tokyo, to Japan, according to Japan Today.
The ceremony was attended by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Tokyo Gov Yuriko Koike, architect Kengo Kuma and other officials.
Designed by Kuma with a strong emphasis on environmental awareness, the venue will be open to the public on Dec 21, with a multitude of Japanese cultural displays and a visit by Olympic gold medalist Usain Bolt.
The stadium, with a seating capacity of 68,000, will host the final of the Emperor's Cup soccer tournament on Jan 1, which will be its first sports event.
The opening and closing ceremonies of the Olympic Games will be held in the stadium along with the athletic events and soccer matches. The stadium will also host events during the Paralympic Games.
The stadium was designed as a collection of pieces of wood that are small in diameter. The facade consists of overlapping, multi-layered eaves made of wood gathered from Japan’s 47 prefectures, and the roof features a truss structure which combines steel beams and laminated lumber.
The total cost of its construction amounted to 156.9 billion yen, under the planned 159-billion-yen budget.
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